Never Gonna Let You Go
by thisislandgirl
Summary: "I'm not going to let you fall," Steve's voice is softer still, much closer to his normal tone than the commanding voice of before. "You good?"


Recipient: sunnysideup2011 for h50-exchange

Title: Never Gonna Let You Go

Pairings/Characters: Steve/Danny

Summary: "I'm not going to let you fall," Steve's voice is softer still, much closer to his normal tone than the commanding voice of before. "You good?"

Rating: R

Content: mild slash, hurt/comfort

Warnings: Language

Word Count: 5600 words

Disclaimer: All Hawaii Five-0 characters herein are the property of CBS. No copyright infringement is intended. All characters engaging in sexual activity are 16 years or older.

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><p>When another bush rustles to the right, Danny jerks his eyes over and scans the greenery around him. Seeing nothing, he turns his gaze forward again, easily picking out McGarrett's blue shirt fifteen yards ahead of him. Steve pauses in his tracks and holds up his fist, body frozen rigid next to a tree. Silently cursing under his breath, Danny creeps up behind Steve quietly, one hand sliding off the grip of his gun to lay gently on the SEAL's shoulder to let him know Danny was there. Danny knows that Steve is probably aware of his presence, but it is better safe than sorry.<p>

"He's running out of path," Steve whispers, eyes cutting to the side to address Danny. "The trail skirts the edge of the cliffs, near the waterfall, about thirty yards ahead. He can't be more than a few yards ahead of us. We're gonna have to cut him off before he tries to head back down the mountain towards the more populated trails."

Danny doesn't need Steve to say it; he can read the unspoken message loud and clear. The more populated trails putting innocents in the line of fire and giving the jackass the chance to take a hostage and complicate their situation even more. Cursing under his breath, Danny nods and watches as Steve motions him to the right while Steve takes off more or less in the same direction he had been heading in before.

He would love nothing more than to curse the island for one more fucked up situation he's found himself in, but Danny knows this time the islands of Hawaii had nothing to do with it. No, it was the state of Texas and more specifically, one Matthew Bates, who made bail then fled the state after murdering his cheating wife and his best friend. Matthew Bates who flew to the island of Oahu and hid out on the North Shore until an off-duty HPD officer had recognized him at a café. Thankfully the cop hadn't made a scene, just quickly and quietly called it in and followed the guy discreetly to the house where he'd been squatting.

When the call had come in from District Two, Danny had thought it would be easy. Just a drive to the North Shore to relieve them of the prisoner and transport him back to Honolulu International Airport and hand him off to Federal Marshals for extradition back to Texas. An easy, simple way to end the week. Except their HPD brother's in District Two had only sat on the house instead of arresting the guy, not wanting to get mixed up with the jurisdiction battles. They said it was a Five-0 arrest and Danny said they were lazy asses not wanting to deal with the paperwork involved. Either way, he and Steve would have to make the arrest. Except when they'd gotten there, Matthew Bates took one look at their badges and rabbited.

"Of course he did," Danny mutters to himself as he pushes vegetation aside and quietly moves forward. He glances over but can no longer spot Steve among the sea of green. He quells the flutter of nerves in his stomach with one thought; Steve's a Navy SEAL, he can handle himself. He'd gotten them this far and if Danny was honest, he completely expected to wander out onto the path and find Steve waiting with Bates already in cuffs. That's just how McGarrett operated.

Moving through the forest, Danny had to wonder what the hell Bates had been thinking fleeing up here. Who the hell in their right mind runs to Waimea Valley to escape the cops? Yet that's were he'd gone, car thrown haphazardly into park across two parking places at the base of the trail, driver's door ajar and already a good thirty yards ahead of them by the time the Camaro had screeched to a halt in the lot. Bates probably thought he was going to lose them in the maze of trails, taking the toughest one to the peak, but he'd thought wrong. Steve had paused, watching the direction Bates disappeared in, then glanced at the map, fingers moving over the multi-colored trails before he motioned for Danny to follow. They'd jumped trails and cut through the forest and somehow ended up closing in on the bastard.

Danny was ready for this to be over. They'd been climbing for nearly forty minutes at a rapid pace and he was just done. The only thing he has to be grateful for is that they'd called in Chin and Kono as soon as they'd found out that Bates wasn't in custody. It was an hour drive up to Waimea, but with Kono behind the wheel it would take forty-five … at most. And knowing the cousins, they would follow them right up the trails, especially since Danny had been relaying their position to them when they'd arrived in the parking lot. As soon as Chin and Kono caught up with them, Danny was going to make them frog-march Bates right back down the mountain while he took a much-needed break.

* * *

><p>Steve slips silently through the vegetation, gun at the ready and eyes constantly scanning the area around him. He hasn't seen Bates for about ten minutes now and he's starting to wonder if he'd miscalculated the path Bates was going to take. He or Danny should've come across him by now, he thinks, eyes scanning another wide arc of the area in front of him. He doesn't hear any movement through the trees or footfalls on the soft ground. It's eerily quiet and he doesn't like it.<p>

Out of the corner of his eyes, he catches a flash of yellow and turns in time to deflect a blow aimed for his head. Unfortunately, Bates catches him across the forearm and Steve's grip on his gun loosens on reflex. Bates crashes into him full force and they both crash to the ground, Steve's gun dropping from his grasp as he uses both hands to roll and disentangle himself from his foe. Once he's free, Steve's rolling to his feet and putting some space between them, body tensing and crouching into a fight stance as Bates staggers to his feet.

Steve can see it on his face, Bates is not going to give up easily. He's a well-trained athlete and mixed martial arts fighter, and he's desperate. That makes him dangerous. Steve watches his body language, trying to anticipate the next move, able to dodge when Bates charges at him again. But ever the wrestler, Bates comes at him again, this time catching Steve around the waist and taking him down to the ground. They scramble for control as Bates uses his weight to pin Steve, his body absorbing the blows Steve deals without a flinch. Steve manages to get one leg free and uses it to his advantage, pushing up with his whole body and rolling them over so that he's free of Bates' weight. What he doesn't see coming, though, is the next blow.

Steve sees Bates' arm coming towards him and a flash of grey before something smashes into the left side of his head. Instantly, pain erupts through his skull, black dots blooming in his vision. He lists to the right, trying to control the fall, but the blow has stunned him and he can't quite get everything back on line fast enough. He doesn't see the second blow, just feels the pain for a brief moment before the world around him blacks out.

* * *

><p>Danny pushes aside another branch hastily and finally steps from the forest out onto the path and into the sunlight. He takes a moment to breath a sigh of relief as he glances around the clearing. What he sees disturbs him though. There is no sign of Steve or that bastard Bates. Lowering his gun a fraction, Danny pauses at the edge of path and studies his surroundings closely. Just as Steve had predicted, they'd come to the apex of the trail, where it skirts along the edge of the cliff for about forty or so yards before disappearing back into the jungle again for the descent. He can't see it, but Danny can hear the waterfall thundering off to the right. The only thing between any curious hikers and the jagged cliff-face with its sickening sixty foot drop to the rocks and water below is ramshackle looking posts and rails, most of them busted or rotten through than holding steady. Just the thought of it makes Danny's stomach turn and he takes an unconscious step backwards.<p>

Twenty feet to his left, he can hear something moving in the brush and slides back into the cover of the vegetation, gun at the ready. It's too noisy to be Steve. A moment later, Bates comes stumbling onto the path. He looks a bit roughed up, blood on his lip and dripping down from a cut on his forehead. He's got something in his hand, Danny realizes. A rock. A large rock, with blood on it. Bates is panting hard as he breaks into the sunshine. He heaves a breath of relief and drops the rock where he stands, unaware of Danny's presence.

It takes his brain a moment to put all the pieces together, but when it does, his stomach turns. There's only one explanation Danny can come up with for why Bates looks roughed up. He ran into someone on the trail who got in his way. i_Steve/i_. And the fact that Bates is taking a breather means it was a hell of a fight and he came on top. Which means Steve is hurt, or worse.

Danny has to fight every instinct in his body that's telling him to run to Steve and check on him. No matter how much he wants, no i_needs/i_, to check on his partner's well being, he can't let this bastard get away. With his gun raised, Danny steps back out onto the path.

"Put your hands in the air and don't move. You're under arrest, Bates. The game's over."

Bates freezes in place, slowly turning towards Danny. Danny would be pleased to see the shock on his face if it didn't turn so quickly into a malicious smirk. A chuckle escapes his lips as he fully turns on Danny. "So you got me, but who's going to check on that partner of yours?"

"I said shut up and put your hands in the air!" Danny growls as he inches closer. He knows better than to get too close. Bates is a trained fighter and was a wrestler throughout college. And he obviously got the drop on Steve, which is a worrying thought. No, Danny's not planning on getting too close to the bastard.

Bates complies, slowly raising his hands in the air. But that smirk won't leave his face. "You want to go check on him, I know you do. And maybe you should-"

"Turn around!" Danny shouts, cutting off whatever Bates was going to say. "Now get down on your knees and put your hands on your head." Once Bates complies, Danny slowly approaches, one hand moving off his gun to reach for his cuffs. He curses the fact that he doesn't have back up with him and hesitates, debating whether he should close in enough to cuff him or keep his gun trained on the asshole until help arrives.

"You really should call in some back up or something. He wasn't looking too good last time I saw him. There was a lot blood." Bates snickers darkly.

"Shut the fuck up you sick son of a bitch." Danny growls, decision made as he holsters his gun in favor of grabbing the bastard's wrist to cuff him. "Your game is over. You lose. You're going back to Tex-"

Danny's cut off mid sentence when a head is thrown back into his stomach. The air rushes out of his lungs as he stumbles back a step, his grip loosening on the prisoner. That's all the opening Bates needs as he springs to his feet. Before Danny can recover, Bates is charging at him, taking them both the ground. The impact is rough, but Danny manages to kick out, catching Bates near the groin, creating some space between them.

Danny tries to roll away, but Bates catches his legs, pulling him back. They roll across the path, limbs entangled as they fight for dominance. Danny's kicking out and clawing at whatever part of Bates he can reach, trying to dislodge him, but Bates is relentless. He keeps a tight grip on Danny, trying desperately to subdue him. Danny doesn't realize until too late where they are on the path. He gets a good kick in, separating them just enough that Danny can shove Bates' weight off of him. But they are too close to the edge and Bates' body meets nothing but air.

Bates eyes go wide for a second, his arms flailing about to find purchase on anything to keep him from going over the edge. His hand lands on the edge of Danny's bulletproof vest and latches on. Danny scrambles, kicking out and dislodging Bates, but its too late, he can feel his body being pulled over the edge. His hands scramble about along the path for anything to hold on to, his fingers finding a crevice in a rock at the edge at the very last moment. He hears a thud below him, then a splash, but he can't find it in himself to care at the moment. His whole body is dangling off the edge of the cliff, the only thing keeping him from the same fate as Bates is his tenuous grip on a rock.

"Danny!"

Danny lifts his gaze and watches as Steve stumbles on to the path. He looks a bit dazed, flinching back when he hits the sunlight, but he's running towards Danny. There's blood running down the side of his face from a nasty looking laceration on the side of his head and his face is already red with bruising. Danny wants to be relieved at the sight of his partner coming towards him, alive and only slightly harmed, but Danny's only relief at the moment is coming from the fact that Steve's hand is currently wrapping around his wrist.

"Come on," Steve mutters, eyes wide with fear as he grabs on to Danny. "Let me help-"

The rock beneath Danny's fingers gives way and for a sickening second, Danny's falling. His stomach drops away and he can feel fear-fueled adrenaline rush through every cell in his body. But his body jerks to a stop a split second later. Danny gasps around the terror clogging his throat and looks up to see Steve, one hand grabbing onto a rickety looking post, the other hand still gripping Danny's wrist. A good portion of Steve's upper body, his head, shoulders, and chest, are hanging over the cliff face with Danny, all of Danny's weight resting on Steve's one arm.

He's grateful for a moment until he sees the sweat beading on Steve's head, feels the sweat clinging to his own body and realizes that the only thing keeping him from plummeting to his death is Steve's grip, Steve's grip on his sweaty flesh. Panic kicks in then and Danny's free hand instantly starts flailing, trying to grab onto anything else with in the vicinity. His feet are trying to find purchase as well, kicking about the rock face. He doesn't realize how much he's causing his body to sway in Steve's tenuous grip, he's not thinking about anything except getting back on solid ground right the fuck now.

"Stop, Danny. Stop moving," Steve says, but Danny doesn't hear him.

"Daniel! Stop!" The command in Steve's voice breaks through the panic and Danny's body stills instantly. "Good," Steve's voice is a bit softer, but still commanding. "Good, Danny. Now look at me."

And Danny does. His heart is thundering in his chest and his body is dangling fifty feet in the air, but he trusts Steve and listens to him. He looks up at Steve, really looks at him. Steve with his pale face lined in pain. Steve, with blood dripping down the side of his head from the laceration near his temple and red-purple bruises blossoming out from there. Steve with his stone cold, calm gaze. Seeing Steve so steady eases some of the fear in Danny's chest and he's able to take a deep breath.

"I'm not going to let you fall," Steve's voice is softer still, much closer to his normal tone than the commanding voice of before. "You good?"

Danny can't trust his mouth to form words right now so he settles for a nod. A small, nearly imperceptible nod, but Steve catches it all the same.

"Okay, good. I'm not going to let you fall, Danny," he repeats again, more conviction behind the words. "I need you to take your right hand and grab my arm. You got it?" When Danny nods again, Steve continues. "Okay, good. I'm going to pull you up, but you need to pull up too. And as soon as you are close enough, I need you to grab on to the rock and pull yourself up. You with me, Danny?"

"Yeah," Danny gasps.

He swallows thickly before moving his right arm from his side. He swings it up and grabs onto Steve's wrist, a mirror of Steve's on grip on him. Once he's sure he's got a good grip, he nods to Steve.

"Okay, we're gonna move on the count of three."

* * *

><p>He's not sure he can accurately describe the feeling of sheer terror that races through his body at the sight of Danny going over the side of the cliff. Every thing in that moment disappears, the agonizing throb in his head, the whereabouts of Bates, the danger they are all in, everything, except for the thought of getting Danny to safety right away. He doesn't think, he just acts, grabbing on to Danny and holding on for dear life, even when the rock gives way and Danny flails in panic. It isn't until Danny's calm and still that Steve allows himself to breath and takes in the rest of the situation.<p>

For a moment he's ready to look around for Bates, but then he sees the bloodstained rocks below Danny and his mind puts all the pieces together. The sickening thud he'd heard when he stumbled out of the jungle followed by the splash, and now the bloody rocks paint a horrific picture of the kind of end Bates met. An end Danny could still meet. Steve steels himself. He's not going to let Danny fall. The words slip past his lips unbidden, but he can see the way Danny nods in understanding so he says them again.

"Okay, we're gonna move on the count of three," Steve grunts out. "One. Two. Three."

On three, Steve pulls up for all he's worth. He's in great shape and knows how much weight he can bare, and all of Danny's weight dangling off one arm is too much. But he's got no choice. He grits his teeth against the strain and pulls, he can feel Danny pulling too and just hopes that he can get Danny up far enough to latch onto the rocks before his arm gives out.

Danny's body is inching closer to the edge, almost with in range of gripping the rocks, when a fierce pain tears its way across Steve's back and through his shoulder. He cries out in pain and frustration as his arm gives out and Danny drops back down. All of Danny's weight dropping back down on his arm once again proves to be too much and with a sickening pop, Steve's shoulder dislocates from its socket.

Steve gnashes his teeth into his bottom lip and presses his forehead against the ground in an attempt to conceal the cry of pain, but he doesn't let go. His fingers are still locked around Danny's wrist. He can feel Danny's grip tighten on him as he cries out in fear at the extra lurch, but it isn't until he hears Danny's voice that he finds the strength to lift his head.

"Steve?" Danny cries out, terror in his voice.

Steve knows Danny's fear is clouding his mind and he doesn't quite know what happened yet. He tries to lock away the pain before he meets Danny's gaze, but he knows he doesn't quite succeed. His entire shoulder is a mass of white-hot agony and his head is throbbing fiercely. He can't force out words through his gasped breaths, but when he meets Danny's eyes, he tightens his grip and hopes that it'll convey enough.

He's not letting go, no matter what.

Steve feels his nails bite into Danny's flesh, knows his grip on Danny is beyond painful, but he refuses to release it even the slightest, afraid if he does so Danny will slip away from him forever. Steve's not sure how long he can hold on, not sure how long he can continue to fight the pain before his body gives in to it and drops them both to the rocks below, but he'll fight as long as he can. Danny's looking up at him, a look dawning on his face like he just realized what happened and what it means. He looks like he wants to say something, say his good-bye, but Steve shakes his head no. Refuses to acknowledge that possibility even though it is staring him in the face. Even now there is blackness creeping along the edges of his vision as the pain morphs and spreads down his neck and arm, and across his back and chest. He's afraid his grip is starting to slip when there's a sound from behind him.

"Boss?"

"Kono!" he gasps. He's not sure if his voice carried far enough for them to hear, but suddenly there are footfalls rushing towards them. He tears his eyes away from Danny for a split second when he feels hands on him. Through his murky vision, he can make out Chin on his right and Kono on his left. They're both wrapping their arms around him and pulling.

He can hear their voices, he can see Danny's lips moving, but he can't make out what they are saying over the buzzing in his head. What Steve does know, though, is that his body is slowly moving back from the ledge. He manages to uncurl his left arm from around the post and uses it to weakly push against the ground, trying to help Chin and Kono.

It takes what feels like an eternity, but finally, his upper body is on solid ground again. Chin and Kono's hands leave him in favor of pulling Danny the rest of the way up. He pushes himself upright with his left arm and watches, useless. It isn't until he sees Danny's upper body firmly planted on the ground that he forces his fingers to relax their grip. Danny's do the same. As soon as Danny is safe, Steve gives him a once over, drinking in the sight of his partner alive, before he collapses onto his back and stops fighting the pain.

* * *

><p>The moment his entire body is on solid ground again, the hands are pulling him upright. Danny is sitting there on his knees as Kono's arms wrap around him, squeezing tight. He can feel Chin's steadying hands on his back and the cool breeze drying the sweat on his arm where Steve's grip had been. He gasps out a breathless chuckle, dizzy with relief and shaky from adrenaline. As soon as Kono pulls back from him, Danny collapses back onto his butt.<p>

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" Kono asks, her hands skating across his shoulders and sides, trying to locate any injury.

The truth of the matter is he's sore all over, body throbbing like a toothache from his head to his toes. He's sore from the hike and from the fight with Bates and from hanging off a cliff by his arms, but no, he's not seriously injured. He shakes his head no, not trusting his voice just yet, and is content to just ride out the shakes when Chin touches his wrist.

"That looks bad," Chin murmurs thoughtfully.

Danny looks down at his left wrist cradled in his lap and is shocked at what he sees. His hand is a bit pale and swollen from lack of blood flow, but his wrist is already bruising a dark purple. There are five cuts on the inside of his wrist welling with blood in perfect crescent shapes, cuts from Steve's nails …

"Steve!" Danny gasps, realizing that Steve was not hovering over him. He barely pauses long enough to watch acknowledgement dawn on Chin and Kono's face before he is pushing himself up. He sees Steve sprawled in the dirt a few feet away, chest heaving but body otherwise unmoving.

Danny scrambles over to him, hands already reaching for him when he spots Steve's arm and stops cold in his tracks. Steve's right arm is flopped awkwardly at his side and his shoulder is obviously deformed, the bulge of what Danny is quickly realizing to be the top of Steve's humerus protruding out the front.

"Oh god," he whispers, maneuvering around the limb to kneel near Steve's head. He runs his fingers gently along the right side of Steve's head, cradling his neck. "Steve?"

Steve's eyes flick open and flinch against the bright sunlight for a moment before the rest of the pain in his body catches up with him. He groans aloud and tries to roll over to his right but their hands stop him immediately.

"Easy there, Steve. Stay still," Chin instructs as he gently maneuvers the bottom part of Steve's arm to rest across his stomach. Steve bites down on the pained whimper, but stays perfectly still. His chest is heaving as he fights for control, but after a moment he opens his eyes again and nods slightly.

"Okay, let us help you up, boss. Not too quick." Kono murmurs.

Chin holds Steve's arm steady against his body and Danny and Kono both help ease him up to a sitting position. Once he's up, Danny breaths a small sigh of relief when Steve seems mostly steady. By the looks of his head, Danny was afraid Steve was concussed and would black out on them, but he held his ground.

"We're gonna need to immobilize that arm," Chin mutters thoughtfully, eyes landing on Kono's button up shirt. Without hesitation, she pulls it off and hands it to Chin.

"You okay, babe?" Danny murmurs quietly, kneeling on Steve's left side, watching as Chin and Kono work on fashioning a sling out of a shirt. His eyes flick to Steve after a moment and watch as he nods once. When Steve meets his gaze, Danny knows he's telling the truth in there somewhere, just not the whole truth.

"Yeah, Danny," Steve sighs out after a moment. "I'm all right." He looks like he wants to say more, but Chin and Kono are moving back in with the sling and he clamps his jaw shut.

It takes a fair bit of maneuvering, and a lot of pain on Steve's part, but they manage to get his arm in the sling, keeping it tight against his body. Danny moves to Steve's left side with the intent to help him to his feet, but Chin shakes his head and takes his place instead. It's only when Danny gets to his feet himself that he realizes just how unsteady he is, exhaustion taking its toll, and he sends a silent look of thanks to Chin. Kono comes up to his side then, once Steve is standing and mostly steady on his own two feet, and slides her arm around his waist. He wants to tell her that he'll be okay on his own, but he knows that's a lie. He'll be lucky if he makes it to the base of the trail even with Kono's assistance. Chin keeps to Steve's left side, taking some of the man's weight as they start to move.

"What happened to Bates?" Kono asks a few minutes later, she and Danny keeping a few paces behind Chin and Steve.

They watch as Steve's shoulder's tense up before he grinds out, "He's dead." Chin glances over his shoulder at Danny, silently asking for the real story.

Danny knows they're going to have to give their statements soon, but right now he just doesn't have the energy to go into the full story. "He went over the side of the cliff," he says simply. "Hit the rocks, then the water. Bastard's good as gone."

"I'll call in Search and Rescue for the body," Chin says after a moment, but no one else comments.

It isn't until they're at the base of the mountain, standing next to their haphazardly parked cars that anyone speaks again.

"Take them to the clinic and get them checked out, I'll stay until back up and Search and Rescue gets here. Someone's going to need to lead them back up the trail." Chin states simply and they all nod in agreement.

"You'll bring the Camaro back?" Kono asks and Danny is forever grateful to her for stealing the words right out of his mouth.

"Yeah."

"Okay. Let us know when you're on your way back." Kono motions for Danny to get in the back, while Chin opens the door for Steve to slide into the front seat.

As they pull back out on to the road, Steve turns just enough so that he can see Danny in the backseat, can meet his eyes and once again drink in the sight of his partner alive and well. Then, and only then, does he slump back against the seat and close his eyes.

* * *

><p>Steve is dozing lightly on the couch when someone comes to stop in front of him. He cracks his eyes open against the late afternoon sun streaming in through the window and looks up at Danny with a questioning gaze. Danny's gaze rakes over his partner, taking in the stitches near his temple and the dark bruise encompassing his left eye and cheekbone, and the sling holding Steve's shoulder immobile, a peek of white bandage poking out of the neck of his t-shirt. After a moment, Danny shakes his head and lays the large icepacks from the hospital on the injured joint.<p>

He wants to drop down on the couch next to Steve, but eases himself down gently instead, knowing that even the slightest movement causes Steve agony right now. They'd spent the night in the hospital, Steve sleeping in a bed after surgery, and Danny and Kono dozing in the chairs beside his bed. A dislocated shoulder, a torn rotator cuff, and a half dozen torn muscles and ligaments in Steve's shoulder, plus a mild concussion and a head laceration that required twenty stitches to close. And not once had Steve complained. He didn't flinch when the doctor read off the laundry list of injuries to his arm or put up a fight when they admitted him for overnight observation. He didn't fuss about Kono and Danny staying the entire night or the addition of Chin to their mother-henning crew that morning. He only kicked Chin and Kono out an hour or so ago so that they could go home and get some sleep. There hadn't been a peep out of Steve otherwise and Danny wanted to know why. There were countless questions burning in his mind right now that he wanted answers to, just didn't know how to give them voice.

"Why wouldn't you let go?" The words slip out of his mouth before he can stop them. But once they are out, Danny realizes that he really wants to know.

In that moment, he'd been terrified of Steve losing his grip. He thought of Grace and couldn't imagine what it would do to her if she never saw him again. He thought of his parents, already having lost one son, and how it might destroy them to lose him too. He thought of Steve and wondered how Steve would react, how he'd cope, or even if he would. It all rushed through his mind so fast. He didn't want to die, but then again, he could've pulled Steve down with him and that thought hurt the worst, that Steve would die because of him.

But Steve hadn't let go. Even when the muscles in his arms tore apart and his bones separated, Steve hadn't let go. Anyone else would've, but not Steve. Steve was willing to go down with him instead of let him go and that thought was both comforting and terrifying all at the same time. They'd never defined this thing between them, this push and pull of love and friendship, but it was always there, crackling just under the surface.

When Danny looks up at Steve and sees his face, a mix of hurt and confusion, Danny's not sure what he expects to hear, but it isn't the answer that Steve gives.

"Because," Steve says simply. "You're i_my/i _Danno."

And yeah, Danny thinks. That pretty much sums it all up right there, doesn't it? He huffs out a laugh and smiles up at Steve, muttering "goof" under his breath as he leans into Steve's side. That's all the answer Danny needs right now.

* * *

><p>End.<p> 


End file.
